In the Garden

by sleepingdead

Lantis finds a certain intruder in his private garden. LxE Lemon.

Magic Knight Rayearth belongs to CLAMP and a few others.  This is based off the manga. 

Warning: Contains spoilers for the manga and explicit homosexual content, i.e. Yaoi lemon.

Lantis/Eagle. If you don't like don't read, but they belong together; see notes at the end of the story.

For Fanfiction.Net, I cut out the lemon.  Sorry.  But you can find the uncut version at AdultFanFiction.Net

*Lantis POV*

            Walking around in my garden was my favorite pastime.  As much as I loved being in Hikaru's company, I loved being alone equally.  In fact, I had created this garden using my own heart specifically to have a place where I would most definitely be alone, complete with an inviolable barrier.  In theory, at least.

            Thus said, I found myself constantly staring down at a certain someone who always managed to enter my garden, despite his lack of magical powers.  I didn't mind his intrusion, since all he really did was sleep anyway; it just baffled me as to how he, of all people, was able to break the barrier and enter as if there wasn't a barrier at all.  In theory, the only people that would be able to penetrate my barrier would be the people whom I wanted to, though I had never wanted anyone to breach it.  So, in theory, there was no way that he could be in the garden at all unless his magical powers were more developed than mine, which they weren't, and even then he would have had to fight to get in, which he didn't.  Therefore, I found myself wondering if I had let him in subconsciously for some reason unbeknownst to my conscious mind.

            There was no real reason to let him in, I decided.  Like I said before, all he ever did was sleep.  It wasn't as though he provided any emotional support or advice for my problems or anything like that.  He just slept.  So, then, I guess there was no real reason to keep him out, either, but still…

            He slept more than I had imagined a human being capable of.  Before, he would have been able to blame it on the exhaustion and lack of mental energy the machines of Autozam had caused him, which in turn led him into the so-called 'eternal sleep' (though apparently it was only eternal in Autozam), but I had seen no decrease in his sleep time since he had awoken, leading me to the conclusion that he was just incredibly lazy.  He slept too much.

            So, that day when I found him curled up at the base of one of the trees in my garden again, I sat down beside him, debating what to do.  Though he looked rather adorable asleep, it wasn't exactly a rare sight, so bringing back my foot, I let it fall straight into his shoulder.  He groaned slightly and rolled over, but I only kicked him again, a little harder this time.  It worked; he was soon sitting up and rubbing his shoulder with a wince, ignoring my presence completely until I leaned forward and smiled at him.

            "This is my garden," I said plainly.  He smiled back at me, though his was a little larger.

            "It's comfy," he replied and let himself drop back to the ground.  He rested his head on his elbow and closed his eyes, though they shot back open when I kicked him again.  "Stop it!  That hurts."

            "This is MY garden," I repeated, allowing my smile to fade as I looked at him sternly.  "Get out."

            He frowned and sat up, and then scooted back to lean against the trunk.  I followed him menacingly with my eyes, though he remained unperturbed.  "It's a big garden," he said, crossing his arms across his chest.

            "It's my garden," I said once again.

            He smiled again.  "My, you're very possessive."

            "Hmm?"

            "Really, you are.  It's not the end of the world of someone comes into your garden," he said, laughing softly.  He shook his head.  "It's not the first time I came in here."

            "Yeah, tell me about it.  I want to be alone," I said, letting my eyes wander towards the distance where the blue wall curved upward to make an intricate arch—the entrance to my garden.  And the exit, for that matter.

            "Why?" he asked, leaning forward curiously.  I glared at him.

            "None of your business."

            He laughed and pushed himself back to my side and rested his head on my shoulder.  I tried to glare at him again, though it was a lost cause anyway; his eyes were already closed.  I could tell he was enjoying this tremendously, and I found myself becoming bitter.  I snatched his chin and pulled his head up, only causing him to stare at me fearfully.

            "Then, you were serious?" he asked softly.  I dropped his chin and pointed to the exit in response, though once again he ignored my command.  He leaned backwards and stretched out his legs, chuckling.  "Then maybe I can cheer you up."

            "I don't need you to," I replied curtly, becoming irritated with his persistence. 

            "So, then, what's bothering you?" he asked, seemingly ignoring my last comment.

             "You are.  I want you to leave."

            He laughed.  "I want you to tell me what's wrong."

            I fell silent, staring at the archway.  I had the growing feeling that he would not be leaving anytime soon, no matter how much I argued.  Perhaps it would have been better if I had left him to sleep.  Awake he was insanely annoying.  I wondered if I stayed silent long enough, maybe he would fall asleep again, though it seemed as though I was only wishing; he was wide awake already.

            "Is it about Hikaru?" he asked.  I winced at his words.

            "No."

            "I thought it was," he said with a chuckle.  "What's wrong this time?"

            "I said it wasn't Hikaru," I replied, clenching my teeth tightly.

            "Uh-huh."

            "Eagle!" I cried, turning towards him swiftly and expecting to see him with his usual mocking smile that he always wore when playing games such as this; however, I was quite surprised to find him resting his chin in his palm with his lips pulled into a strangely solemn frown.  I fell silent immediately and looked at him staring at nothing as he seemed to be thinking about something.

            "Don't worry, Lantis," he said at last, lifting his head and smiling at me, though this was more comforting than his previous smiles had been.  "I'm not making fun of you—I'm really only trying to cheer you up."

            I grunted in response and looked away from him.

            "Seems as though it didn't work though," he continued with another chuckle.  "I wonder what it would be like to be you."

            "What is that supposed to mean?" I asked.

            He shrugged.  "You've got everything…  You've got Hikaru, and Hikaru's got you…" he paused with another laugh, though there was barely any humor in this one; rather, it seemed like it had been forced.  "I sometimes feel left out."

            "Eagle?" I asked, frowning at him.  He shook his head and smiled, though his eyes remained sad.

            Briefly I thought back to a scene that remained etched in my mind, no matter how much I tried to forget.  The look in his eyes when I had said, "I'm sorry.  I don't feel the same."  A dull distant look of crushed hopes; the only time I had ever seen him look truly defeated.  That was only a few years prior, in Autozam, though it seemed like an eternity ago.  That was even before Hikaru had entered the picture, and yet even then I had the ability to say those words back to him.  I wondered how I did it many times, and I always came up with the same thing.  No matter how much I loved him and adored him, there was just something about him that was forbidden, untouchable, something that I could never hope to own even if he wanted me to.

            "Forget it.  I'm just being a little selfish," he said, rising to his feet.  "I'll leave now."

            I blinked a few times, trying to collect myself at the sudden jolt back to reality, but I was quick enough to reach out and yank his hand, which in turn sent him toppling over backwards to end curled up across my lap.  I lifted his shoulders and brought him into a weak hug, enjoying the way he let his head drop against my neck.

            "I guess you haven't changed at all," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

            "But you haven't either," he replied with another sad smile. 

            "Are you so sure?" I whispered.  I moved my hand to the nape of his neck and began to run my fingers through his hair before I pushed his face closer to mine.  Our lips touched for merely a second before his hands pushed my shoulders away.

            "Stop!" he said breathily, staring at me with fearful golden eyes.  "What are you doing?  What about…  What about Hikaru?"

            "Hikaru will always be Hikaru," I said and leaned towards him again, though he responded by shifting backwards to retain the gap.

            "Just because you had a fight with her doesn't mean you should end the relationship," he said assertively, though he would not make eye contact.

            I let go of him, and he scooted to sit by my side silently.  I shook my head.  "You guessed wrong," I said, noticing in my peripheral vision that his head turned towards me, though I did not look at him.  "Hikaru and I didn't have a fight.  Our relationship is the same as it's ever been."

            "Then why…?"

            "Why are you refusing, when this is what you've wanted all this time?" I countered, once again turning to him and wrapping my arms around him.

            "This isn't what I want!" he cried, pushing me away again.  It caught me by surprise, and I dropped him immediately.  He lifted his hands to his face, shading his eyes, and shook his head quickly.  "You don't understand.  I don't want this."

            "Then what do you want?" I asked irritably.  "Everything you said before…  You've changed your mind?"

            "No," he said, his voice once again no more than a breathy whisper.  "All I wanted was to be close to you.  I don't want to hurt you, and I don't want you to use me to hurt yourself!"

            "Eagle," I said, encircling his hands in my own and pushing them away from his face.  His eyes were clouded with fear and doubt, and his bottom lip was trembling slightly.  I moved my hand to his cheek and caressed the soft skin there, though it only made him tense more.  "Don't worry," I whispered, gripping his shoulders and pulling him into an embrace.  "I won't do anything you don't want, but you have to understand that I'm not hurting myself, and I'm not trying to use you."

            "Then why now of all times?"

            "Because everyday I want you more and more," I replied, a little reluctant to spill out my feelings, though I supposed it was the only way to explain my actions.  "Before, in Autozam, when I told you I didn't feel the same way…  That wasn't true.  I knew it wasn't true when I said it, but I wanted it to be.  I thought that…that there was something about you that I couldn't touch."

            I felt his hand close on my sleeve tightly, and a few sniffs signified the beginning of his sobs, though I found myself quite surprised when he leaned away from me with clear eyes and an angry glare.

            "You mean, all this time, all these years…" he voice seemed to die in frustration, and his eyes dulled for a second before they came back and glared at me even more fiercely before.  "All this time, and it wasn't true?"

            I could only blink at him in response.  He had a reason to be mad, I supposed, though I had not expected him to react that way.  Sadly enough, I would have rather had him cry than for him to get angry; at least when he was crying, he didn't hate me.

            Of course, I had not expecting his next reaction either—it was one I had never even considered.  A broad smile broke across his face, so large that his pushed his cheeks back and revealed many glittering white teeth.  I felt myself falling helplessly to the ground with a pair of arms around my neck when he launched himself at me ruthlessly.  I found myself smiling too, then, as I wrapped my arms around his waist tightly.

            "This is happiness," he whispered into my ear and giggled excitably.  Judging by his incredible joy, I assumed I had gotten my point across, and, deciding to take initiative, I swung him to the side and shuffled on top of him.  I gazed down into his golden eyes, which were glinting wildly, and then leaned forward and placed my lips onto his, waiting for his permission to enter, though once again I was surprised when his tongue pushed into my mouth instead. 

            It became almost a war, both of us fighting for dominance, though I won by underhanded means when I pushed my arm under his head and deepened the kiss, forcing my tongue all the way into his mouth so that he gagged and had to pull away, breaking the kiss at last.  I smiled down at him mischievously, though he ignored me and promptly began to pull at my collar in an attempt to open it.  My mind seemed to dull for the next few minutes, or maybe seconds or hours—I couldn't be sure—and all I could do was work at his clothes as viciously as he did mine.  It wasn't until I heard him gasp with a certain fear and delight at the same time that I was able to snap out of my gaze, and only then did I realize how far down his body my hand had traveled.  Quickly I brought it back up to rest on his chest, now bare from the previous tearing, and I stared at him, searching for a reaction.  He looked up at me, his wide eyes inquisitive, though his eyebrows had a slight curve upwards that made his expression seem to contradict itself, and therefore impossible to read.

            "Why did you stop?" he asked after a moment of silence, though his words seemed to be forced out between the sharp breaths.

            I paused, relaxing my body on top of him, though I did not take my eyes from his.  "How far do you want to go?"

            He stopped breathing then, though I could not tell if it was because he had subdued it enough so that I could not hear or if he was holding his breath altogether, but when he finally spoke he exhaled deeply, and I could feel his lithe stomach falling quickly beneath me.  "All the way," he said, pushing his fingers through my hair before kissing me again.

(Edited content)

vvvv^^^^vvvv

            It was well past noon by the time I awoke to a small tickling sensation on my cheek.  I blinked open my eyes to find a slender hand playing gently with my bangs, the ends of the strands brushing against my cheek lightly.  I smiled slightly and looked down at the culprit, finding that his golden eyes seemed to glint with something I had never seen before; a new level of happiness I supposed he had never experienced.

            "Good morning," I said, encircling his hand with my own and pulling it away from my face.  He giggled and laced his fingers between mine, caressing my thumb with his as he squeezed tightly.

            "Good morning," he replied happily, closing his eyes and smiling fully.  I dropped his hand and instead leaned forward to kiss him lightly before rolling onto my elbows and eyeing his body lustfully, since I hadn't really been able to the previous night.  I smirked seductively and turned towards him, though my face fell and my heart jumped up into my throat when I noticed the unusual solemn frown on his face.

            "What's the matter?" I asked, reaching over to caress his cheek gently.  He forced a smile onto his lips and he leaned into my touch, though I could tell it was not real.  I swallowed hard, hoping that he had not changed his mind and was regretting what happened last night.  It was too perfect for that.

            "It's nothing," he said, though it was easy to tell he was lying.  He let his head drop onto the ground and closed his eyes, allowing his forced smile to vanish completely.

            "Tell me what's wrong," I said with a sigh.  "Please."

            "Well…" he allowed his voice to trail off as his eyes opened, though they held a distant look in them.  "Well, I was just wondering what Geo would say about this."

            "Geo?" I repeated, blinking at him.  I allowed a heavy frown to cross my face as I voiced my feelings exactly.  "What does he have to do with this?"

            "I mean, not just Geo.  I was only thinking of him because he's the one who told me…" he blinked with a pause, as if he had realized he was revealing some sort of secret by accident.  "I mean, what will people think of us now?"

            "What does it matter what they think?" I replied irritably, still frowning at him.  "And what did Geo tell you?"

            "It's nothing," he replied with a smile, and this one, although sheepish, was real.

            I sighed playfully and crawled on top of him, pinning his shoulders to the ground and leaning forward so that my face was merely inches from his.  "What did he tell you?" I repeated.

            "I'm not telling!" he laughed, squirming beneath me in a vain attempt to escape.

            Once he slowed down, I grinned sinisterly and placed a tender kiss on his lips and lifted my hand to his cheek once again.  "We're lovers now.  You have to tell me."

            I noticed him blink confusedly and allowed myself to smile, knowing that the word "lovers" had the desired effect on him.  He sighed with a little laugh and smiled as he spoke, "When I told him…  Back in Autozam, when I told him how I felt about you…he told me that I should forget about you…  That I shouldn't tell you because it was just an infatuation that would only lead me into trouble…"  He laughed sheepishly again and shook his head.  "Well, I think he was kind of disappointed in me, and I think he'll be even more so now."

            "What makes you so certain he'll ever find out?" I asked, finding it almost disgusting that Geo would ever know about this, but somehow I had a feeling that he would find out eventually, if only because my new lover had a habit of telling him everything.

            "Even things that I try to keep from him, he always finds out somehow.  He knows everything about me."

            I sighed a rested my head on the hollow of his neck, closing my eyes and relaxing to the rhythm of his steady breathing.  "It doesn't matter what he thinks…what everyone thinks.  It's not important."

            "And Hikaru?"

            I winced at the name again, suddenly feeling a wave of guilt wash over me.  I had not thought of her once the whole time, and now I wondered how I couldn't have.  I couldn't deny it; I was still very much in love with her, though it had been her innocent nature that constantly refused me and put me in such a sexually frustrated state.  I lifted my head and studied the one in my arms, wondering if I had just ruined everything without even thinking about it; whether I liked it or not, he was already mine and I could not desert him.  Not that I wanted to, though.  I didn't mind him…  No, I loved him.  What I had said to him before had been the truth; I had just been a coward when he had admitted his feelings to me in Autozam.  It was just that now I had Hikaru to complicate things.

            I guessed it didn't matter, though.  I had already chosen Eagle.

            "Lantis?" his whisper came floating to my ears.

            Had I made the right choice, though?  Even just thinking about it, I already missed Hikaru greatly.  What would I say to her?  How could I do this to her?

            I wondered what I would feel like if I had chosen her instead though.  I wondered what Eagle would look like.  He had dealt with my relationship with Hikaru passively this whole time, though he knew he was burning with jealousy.  What would he do if I had made my relationship with her final?  What would he look like?  The glint in his eyes that I saw this morning, one of pure and untouched happiness… would I have never seen that in him?  Would he have gone on pretending that it didn't matter to him for the rest of his life?

            Who was the right choice?

            "Lantis…"

            "She doesn't matter either," I said, though I knew the hurt in my voice was obvious.

            "She does, Lantis," he replied.  He felt his fingers run through the strands of hair.  "Hikaru isn't one to be jealous…  Not if you still love as much as you did before.  You loved her as much as you did me… no, more than me.  Do you still feel the same way?"

            "Eagle," I whispered, burying my face into his skin.  "I didn't love her more than you."

            "It doesn't matter.  Do you still love her the same, Lantis?"

            I paused, pretending to think even though I knew the answer easily.  "Yes."

            "See?" he said cheerfully, and I could tell he was smiling.  "Hikaru will understand.  I know she will.  You just have to make a promise to her too.  And…"

            "And?" I asked, lifting my head and resting my eyes on his face; his eyes were closed and his lips were parted in a faint smile.

            "And it's much better this way, if everything goes how I think it will," he said, his smile growing larger with his words.  "Now… now maybe I won't be left out either."

            "No, maybe not," I said, feeling my heartbeat speed up as his words began to sink in.  If Hikaru were okay about this, if she understood, perhaps I wouldn't have to choose.  I could have both and it wouldn't matter to anyone, or at least to anyone who was important. 

I wrapped my arms around his waist, extracting an excited giggle from him, and placed a gentle kiss on his lips before reaching for my clothes again.

            "Let's go.  Right now," I whispered into his ear.

            He nodded with another giggle, and I quickly moved to get up, but he grasped onto my wrist and pulled me down again.

            "Lantis," he said, his face taking on a suddenly serious expression.  "Everything will turn out well.  Even if she doesn't understand, if she doesn't accept this, we'll still have each other, right?"

            I nodded and forced a small smile.  "I'll love you forever, Eagle."

((((o.o))))

Okay, that's all.  I hope you like it.  It took me awhile to write, seeing as though I started it a month before I finished it, but that's okay, right?  All right!  Now for the fun stuff (you can skip over this if you want to, since it's really not that important.  Sigh… Reason #2 is the best, though).

Why Eagle and Lantis belong together:

Reason #1:  You see, this is obviously based of the manga, so I must use the relationships of the manga for this.  Although in the anime Lantis and Eagle really do seem like just best friends, in the manga I got the hint that they had something more than that.  Not only did they seem a little close in all the flashbacks in Autozam, which still can just be construed as comfort for a best friend that's in a tough situation, but there were certain things that kinda tipped me off. 

First of all, Eagle's constant apologizing was a little excessive, even for friendship, meaning that he felt for Lantis a degree of love more than just friends. 

Second, when Eagle had the flashback to Autozam where he rushed out and offered Lantis a ride on his (which really was Geo's) hovercar, afterward it skipped to Lantis standing on one of the crystals extending from the castle, holding the keycard that Eagle had given him and regarding it with obvious sentimental value.  That's one of the little details I've noticed that hints that Lantis has deep feelings for Eagle too. 

Third, at the end of the manga, it shows each of the Magic Knights floating down and landing next to their respective boyfriend, that being Fuu to Ferio and Umi to Ascot.  However, Hikaru has not one, but two lovely boys that she floats down to, being Lantis holding the unconscious Eagle, and we get a lovely picture showing the three of them together, which not only suggests yaoi, but also a threesome.  Meow.

Lastly, and most obviously, is Hikaru's little speech when she is fighting Eagle for the position of the Pillar, and I quote from TokyoPop Manga Magic Knight Rayearth graphic novel #6 (English reversed edition), "You really like Lantis, don't you? / And I'm sure Lantis likes you… / Princess Emeraude and Zagato were the same." (Pages 163-164)  Okay, considering that Hikaru is comparing Lantis and Eagle's love to Emeraude and Zagato's, which was entirely romantic, Hikaru is suggesting that Lantis and Eagle's relationship is not entirely platonic either.  This is basically like saying, "I know you and Lantis are together," and since Hikaru thinks they're together (because Hikaru is just always right), CLAMP probably intended to hint that they had a relationship, which means that I can also perceive it that way.

… I think I've written too many essays this year…  Anyway, why Eagle and Lantis belong together:

Reason #2:  For this example, we must go to the anime because some have never read the manga.  And what better to represent to anime than that which makes anime worthwhile…  The Japanese voice cast.  We must revert to the very voice actors to prove a romantic relationship, so here it is:

Zagato………..Jurota Kosugi

Emeraude…….Megumi Ogata

Lantis…………Jurota Kosugi

Eagle………….Megumi Ogata

There you have it.  They belong together.  There are the facts and the bare proof.  Believe me now?  You should.

The end.

Cassi

o.o